Leora Cruddas, Chief Executive of CST said: "Schools have been extraordinary in their efforts to ensure pupils are educated, fed and that their safety and welfare has been protected during the second national lockdown.
"There is no question that being taught face to face is the best possible thing for children and young people, particularly for those for whom the disadvantage gap is opening up.
"Parents have been brilliant but being at home is not a good option for some pupils – in some cases because they don’t have a place to study, or their parents are not well placed to support them, and in small number of cases because of mental health, safety and welfare concerns.
"The decision to open schools fully on 8 March is about the balance of risk. It is important to balance the public health risks in the short term (related to the continuing risk of the transmission of the virus) with longer term public health considerations.
"There is unlikely to be a perfect time or perfect evidence on which to base a decision to open schools fully, but the important thing is that schools are some of the best controlled environments. Schools have worked tirelessly to put in place a system of controls which keeps pupils and staff as safe as possible.
"The Department for Education’s operational guidance on opening schools strengthens this system of controls. And of course, we also have the vaccination programme. There are logistical difficulties to consider, particularly for secondary schools who are being asked to test pupils on-site for the first three times they use the lateral flow device tests. Leaders must be trusted to make this work and to stagger the return of pupils, particularly in large schools and colleges.
"However hard this is, I have no doubt that school leaders and staff will once again step up as they have done right the way through the global pandemic.”
